Kenyans pay for their air fares

Of all the international captains currently tramping through world cricket,
easily the most engaging is Kenya's Maurice Odumbe. Put it this way, if you
were planning to throw some steak on the braai and pass a few beers around,
then the cricketer to call to lift the company would be Odumbe. Always
assuming, of course, that your name is not umpire Dave Orchard.

Odumbe's criticisms of Orchard earned him a two-match ban this week, a ban
to which the Kenyans responded by inflicting a 70-run defeat on India in one
of the biggest upsets in the modern game.

After the Kenyans had been drawn and quartered by India in Bloemfontein last
Friday, Odumbe's rueful response was that the practically only thing to do
in the circumstances was to take his boys out on the town and get them drunk
After Lance Klusener had taken five successive boundaries off him in
Kimberley last Sunday, he confessed that what he'd wanted to do at that
moment was find somewhere to hide.

There hasn't been such frankness from a captain on these shores since Ken
Rutherford described his New Zealand team as a "bunch of social retards" in
the wake of a surprise victory over South Africa at the Wanderers. "And," he
added, "I'm off to join them."

It was Rutherford, of course, who also declared that New Zealand cricket had
"corned the turner" after an equally surprising win against Pakistan.
Rutherford had his farewell do in Johannesburg this week before taking
himself back off to his native land. Go well, Ruds.

To get back to Odumbe, though, what appeals as much as anything else about
him is that even in the aftermath of humiliation, he's still aware that only
a fortunate few are privileged to make a living from playing cricket.
Compared to a small core within the South African camp who seem determined
to match England in the prima donna stakes, the Kenyans are a breath of
fresh air.

More so now, after Wednesday's shock result. The problem, however, in the
post- Hansiegate age, is that you're never quite sure what to make of upsets
like this. If Sachin Tendulkar, the best batsman in the world, struggles for
20 balls to make just 3, then is he just having a bad day at the office or
are more sinister forces at work.

Which is not to suggest that the Indians tanked it, simply that whatever
Hansie Cronje believes, his activities still cast a dark shadow over the
game. Interestingly, it is understood that members of the International
Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit were around Port Elizabeth on
Wednesday. The ACU has been a little cagey about this which, in some ways,
is surprising. Surely, if the ACU is tasked with policing cricket and
guarding against corruption, one of the most effective ways of achieving
this would be to let it be known that you're around and you've got your
ears close to the ground.

The other fascinating point to emerge after Wednesday's match - even though
it has been strenuously denied - is that discussions were apparently held
about Kenya's continuing participation in the tournament. In Bloemfontein
last week only a couple of hundred spectators turned out to watch India
trounce Kenya and some people started to wonder whether their presence in
the Standard Bank One-Day Series wasn't undermining the whole tournament.

In the event Kenya stayed on and gave cricket in South Africa what should
prove to be one of the best nights of the summer. The question, though,
still remains: are triangular tournaments fatally flawed if one of the teams
is demonstrably weaker than the other two? The answer in most cases is yes,
but Kenya did themselves, and the series, an enormous favour by cashing in
on what was a woefully inept Indian effort.

The result, almost certainly, will not affect the tournament as a whole.
South Africa and India, you can bet on this, will be in the final at
Kingsmead next Friday. But before then South Africa play Kenya at Newlands
on Monday and if Cape Town manages to shrug off Currie Cup fever (or a
Currie Cup hangover, whichever applies after this weekend) then there could
be a sellout

Which is exactly what this series needs and, let's not be coy about this,
which is exactly what South African cricket needs just at the moment.